Phlox plant named ‘Bedazzled Pink’

ABSTRACT

A unique cultivar of Hybrid Spring  Phlox  plant named  Phlox  ‘Bedazzled Pink’ multi-stemmed compact habit, winter-hardy, slowly spreading plant with bright, glossy-green, lanceolate leaves. Flowers are sweetly fragrant, beginning in mid-April and continuing for about six to seven weeks on branched peduncles. Petals are bright medium pink upon anthesis and lighten to light pink. Petal apices are deeply notched and each blade has two deep purple striae marks near the center eye. Foliage stays clean and resists mildew, and the new plant is especially suitable for the landscape as a potted plant, in the garden as a specimen or en masse.

Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘Bedazzled Pink’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)

The first public disclosure of the claimed plant, in the form of a photograph and brief description on a website operated by Walters Gardens, Inc. on Feb. 1, 2018. The claimed plant was first sold on Jul. 9, 2018 by Walters Gardens, Inc., who obtained the plant and all information relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants of Phlox ‘Bedazzled Pink’ have been sold in this country or anywhere in the world, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made, more than one year prior to the filing date of this application, and such sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phlox plant, known as Phlox ‘Bedazzled Pink’ and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Bedazzled Pink’, or the “new plant”. The new plant was hybridized by the inventor at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. on Mar. 3, 2014 as cross between Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Pink’ (not patented) as the female parent times Phlox bifida ‘Top Notch’ (not patented) as the male parent. The new plant passed initial evaluation in the spring of 2016 and was assigned the breeder code 14-240-7 through the remaining evaluation process. ‘Bedazzled Pink’ was first asexually propagated by stem cuttings in the greenhouses at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. in the summer of 2016. The unique characteristics of the new plant have been found to be reproducible and stable in successive generations of asexual propagation and the resultant plants have been found to be identical to the original selection.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Phlox ‘Bedazzled Pink’ is unique from all other Hybrid Spring Phlox or other Phlox known to the inventor. The nearest comparison plants known to the inventor include: ‘Running with Scissors’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,738, ‘Violet Pinwheels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,884, ‘Pink Parasol’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,881 and the two copending cultivars ‘Bedazzled Lavender’ and ‘Bedazzled Orchid’. ‘Running with Scissors’ has a flower color that is medium to light violet pink. ‘Violet Pinwheels’ has flowers that are violet-purple, petals are less deeply cleft, the flowering period is shorter with less coverage at peak flowering and the habit is more open. ‘Pink Parasol’ has a lighter pink flower with a white eye from anthesis to flower drop, and the two purple striae are thin and indistinct. ‘Bedazzled Lavender’ is slightly smaller in habit and the flower is lavender-pink, and the petals have a deeper apical notch and a more subtle purple eye. ‘Bedazzled Orchid’ is slightly taller in habit, has flowers of strong purple that mature to light purple. The female parent, ‘Emerald Pink’ is shorter in height, has a more rampant growth habit, flowers of medium pink, and the petal lobes are rounded and not bifid. The male parent, Phlox bifida ‘Top Notch’ has pale lavender flower color with deeply cleft bifid petal lobes. The foliage of ‘Bedazzled Pink’ is intermediate in size to both parents.

Phlox ‘Bedazzled Pink’ differs from and all other phlox known to the inventor in the following repeatedly observed traits in combination:

-   -   1. Plants of compact habit, slowly spreading by rooting of         stems, producing clean, glossy, bright-green, lanceolate leaves.     -   2. Multiple heavily-branched stems produce lightly branched         panicles.     -   3. Flower beginning in mid-April and continuing for about six to         seven weeks completely covering plant at peak flowering.     -   4. Sweetly fragrant flowers with petals that begin bright medium         pink and lighten to light pink.     -   5. Individual petals are deeply notched at tips with two deep         purple striae marks near the center eye.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of Phlox ‘Bedazzled Pink’ and the overall appearance of the plant at three-years old growing in a full-sun trial bed in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the new plant in peak flower in the landscape in early May.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Phlox ‘Bedazzled Pink’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on three-year-old plants in the full-sun trial garden of a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid; -   Parentage: Female or seed parent is Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Pink’,     male or pollen parent is Phlox bifida ‘Top Notch’; -   Plant habit: Winter-hardy herbaceous perennial; compact, highly     branched; producing about 30 to 42 stiff, highly-branched stems;     foliage 18.0 cm tall and 60.0 cm wide; flowering to 20.0 cm wide and     65.0 cm wide; -   Propagation: Stem cuttings; rooting in about 10 days; -   Time to produce finished crop in 3.8 liter pots: About 8 to 10     weeks; moderately vigorous; -   Root: Fibrous and freely branching; color creamy white to tan     depending on soil type; -   Leaves: Simple; opposite; lanceolate, subulate; apex acute; base     truncate, clasping; margin entire with basal one-quarter to whole     margin micro-ciliolate; lustrous and glabrous both adaxial and     abaxial; about 36.0 mm long by about 3.5 mm wide; -   Leaf color: Adaxial nearest RHS 137A, abaxial nearest RHS 137B with     base both sides nearest RHS 146D; -   Foliage fragrance: None detected; -   Veins: Pinnate; not conspicuous adaxial and abaxial; -   Vein color: Abaxial midrib nearest RHS N138C, other veins same color     as surround leaf; -   Petiole: Leaves sessile; -   Stems: Cylindrical; stiff and flexible; strong; upright to     outwardly; covered in leaves distally; about 16.0 mm long and 3.0 mm     diameter at base; -   Stem color: Variable, nearest RHS 199C and RHS 146D in exposed     proximal region; -   Nodes: Proximally about 12.0 mm apart; distally less than 1.0 mm     apart; -   Node color: Same as surrounding stem; -   Flowers: Perfect; salverform; cupped; about 22.0 mm across the flat     face; with fused corolla tube about 15.0 mm long and 2.0 mm     diameter; in branched panicle of about 4 to 6 flowers; attitude     upright to outwardly; -   Flower longevity: About 5 days on plant; self-cleaning; -   Flower fragrance: Pleasantly sweet; -   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Narrowly oblanceolate, to     narrowly clavate; acute apex with petals implicate; about 21.0 mm     long and 2.0 mm diameter in tube and 3.5 mm diameter toward apex; -   Bud color: Nearest RHS 76C distally with ring portion between tube     and bulb blend between RHS 86A and RHS N88A, exposed corolla tube     nearest RHS 76B and calyx tube nearest RHS 84D with blush of nearest     RHS N77D; -   Petals: Five; glabrous; cleft blade and fused claw; blades not     imbricate; apex bifid to about 6.0 mm deep and lobes separated about     6.0 mm at apex, lobes to about 4.0 mm wide; blade about 11.0 mm long     and 3.0 mm wide before tube; blade about 10.0 mm across at widest     point near apex; base fused into a tube about 15.0 mm long and 2.0     mm diameter; -   Petal color: -   Adaxial blade: Main blade opening nearest RHS N74C and lightening in     maturity to between RHS 75C and RHS 76C with 2.0 mm central eye     opening lighter than RHS 76D with each petal having two striae spots     about 1.0 mm long nearest RHS N88A; -   Abaxial blade: Nearest RHS 76C; -   Inner corolla tube: Nearest RHS 76B, basal 2.0 mm nearest RHS 145C; -   Outer corolla tube: Nearest RHS 76C and nearest RHS 145D at base; -   Androecium:     -   -   Filaments.—Usually five, adnate to inner corolla at various             heights; about 1.0 mm and 0.1 mm in diameter; color nearest             RHS NN155D.         -   Anther.—Oblong elliptic; dorsifixed; oblong, about 2.0 mm             long by 0.7 mm wide; color nearest RHS 17B.         -   Pollen.—Nearly microscopic, spherical; color nearest RHS             23A. -   Gynoecium: One pistil per flower; 13.0 mm long;     -   -   Style.—Cylindrical; about 11.0 mm long and 0.2 mm diameter             when flower is mature; color nearest RHS 157C.         -   Stigma.—Trifid in proximal 1.0 mm, about 0.2 mm diameter;             persistent after flower abscission; nearest RHS 1C.         -   Ovary.—Inferior; globose; about 1.0 mm long and 1.0 mm             diameter; color nearest RHS 144A. -   Calyx: Campanulate; about 9.0 mm long and 3.5 mm across at apex; -   Sepals: Five; linear; glabrous; acute apex, fused in basal 4.0 mm;     margin entire, ciliate; pubescent abaxial, glabrous and lustrous     adaxial; individually about 9.0 mm long and 1.0 mm wide at fusion; -   Sepal color: Adaxial nearest RHS 137B and abaxial nearest RHS 137C     with a blush of nearest RHS N77B; -   Peduncle: Finely puberulent; strong, flexible; upright, cylindrical;     about 1.5 mm diameter at base and 3.4 cm long; -   Peduncle color: Nearest RHS N77A; -   Pedicle: Cylindrical; finely puberulent; flexible; upright to     outwardly; to about 10.0 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter; -   Pedicle color: RHS N77B; -   Fruit and seeds: Not yet been observed; -   Hardiness and culture: The new plant grows best with full sun,     plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, and can tolerate drier     conditions once established; hardy to at least from USDA zone 4     through 8. -   Disease and pest resistance: Phlox ‘Bedazzled Pink’ demonstrates     excellent powdery mildew resistance under conditions that would     normally show symptoms. Resistance or susceptibility beyond that     common of other Hybrid Spring Phlox is not known. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Phlox plant named ‘Bedazzled Pink’ as herein described and illustrated. 